Being a specific race doesn’t make you better at science

Exactly, so why are the results so lopsided? Being brought up in an environment where you had less education opportunities for whatever reason, less opportunity to show your worth, can make you appear worse at science, when if you had the same opportunity, you might show our were as good or better. Why should we settle for good scientists being left behind by the circumstances of their birth or upbringing. If they’re good, they’re good.

Ok, fine, maybe a better example is:

• I start at third base and run home for a score
• you start at bat, get on base, work your way around the bases to third …. Then the inning is over as I strike out

You didn’t score, so should you be cut from the team? I scored and helped the team win, so do I deserve more credit? I didn’t show whether I could bat, get on base, or work my way around the bases. Am I better because I scored, or are you better because you showed more merit at more things, overcame a more difficult challenge, show a better likelihood of more contribution to the team over the season? The coach should consider all the facts before deciding who to cut, not just the score of one game

discrimination mixed with wishful thinking

None of this is meant to give anyone a free ride, only an adjustment and only where appropriate

I recently had this conversation with my brother where he voiced a similar opinion to you.

• At his company they made a big push for more women in engineering and management and disregarded merit. The result was unqualified people, lost confidence in corporate leadership, and more ingrained biases. No one wants that
• At the last several companies I work for, they also recognize a need for more women in engineering and management. They recruit more strongly from nontraditional sources, encourage stronger networking in women in leadership, put more effort into fighting discrimination throughout the company, and have given themselves more opportunities to hire and promote more women. I followed my manager to a new job because she is outstanding. She had the opportunity to show her merit despite the fact that she was born in another country, didn’t speak the same language, is “the wrong gender”, and didn’t even have the same economic system